If you've read other selling books, you're probably tired of the false promises that never quite work out. You're probably tired of being told "you can do it if you just believe you can."

You're probably tired of reading about tricks that made a particular sale ~ tricks that may have been appropriate to a particular situation, but not yours ~ and even if they were appropriate, how would you have thought of them at the right time?

If you've read books on selling before or listened to "sales experts," you're probably tired of being pumped with hot air ~ told how you must "come alive," be full of enthusiasm, dominate the world around ~ all the things that don't happen to be a part of your basic nature.

Well, this book isn't anything like that. In fact, this book was written to refute many cliches of selling that have been accepted without question for years.

This book will prove to you, I hope, that the stereotyped image of the "born salesman" is a mistake. You don't have to remake your personality and become super-enthusiastic, super-aggressive, domineering. Not only are those traits not necessary, they are actually a hindrance to making sales.

And you won't have to develop that uncanny ability to come up with the right answer at the right time ~ that super-human knack of having the brilliant flash of insight that is so prevalent in books on selling. Sure, given several days to think about it, the writer of a sales book can always come up with a solution to a sales problem. But how does that help you when confronted face-to-face with a question that must be answered now? This book will show you that you don't need such skills.

This book can truly revolutionize your selling career ~ but only because it will show you that you no longer need to waste your time developing skills that are of no value to a salesman. For example, here are some of the points that will be made in the course of this book:

Contrary to the accepted mythology, enthusiasm is not a virtue; it destroys more sales than it creates.

"Positive thinking" is an unrealistic fallacy. The salesman who thinks negatively has a far greater chance for success than the so-called "positive thinker."

Sales success does not come from convincing people to buy things they don't want.

The salesman who always has an answer for every objection is also probably plugging along with a very low income.

Extroverts don't make the best salesmen; they are invariably outsold by introverts.

To be a good salesman, you don't have to be a "smooth talker".

Another all-time sales fallacy is the statement "When the going gets tough, the tough get going". When the going gets tough, I usually take a vacation.

The desire to be able to motivate others is unrealistic and foolish. A really-great salesman will never try to motivate anyone.

Perhaps all of this sounds so far removed from what you've heard about selling through the years that you wonder how it could possibly be true. I intend to demonstrate the validity of these statements in two ways.

First, my own experience verifies their worth. Almost invariably, in any selling experience where I've found myself, I have outsold everyone else around me ~ usually while working far fewer hours.

In addition, I've seen these principles work for a few others, too ~ a very few, for they are unknown to most people.

But there is nothing mysterious about them ~ and that brings us to second way in which I will demonstrate their validity. I will prove them to you. We will deal with life logically and carefully in this book. Everything will be proven in terms of the real world as it is ~ in ways we can both understand.

And because these principles are self-evident, you will be able to apply them simply and easily. You will not be told again (for the hundredth time) that "if you'll just believe them and try them and remove any thought of failure from your mind, they will eventually work for you". No, you're tired of having to approach success in terms of faith.

I will prove the validity of these principles and then you can integrate them into your daily life ~ one at a time, if you so choose. And you will most likely see their effect the moment you try them.

But I'm not going to guarantee your success. I'm not going to tell you that you can't miss ~ because that would be unrealistic. For it depends on you and your willingness to reorient your attitude to see things as they really are.

The old cliches of selling are really attempts to get "something for nothing." They promise to bring about sales faster without any greater insight. But invariably (as with all "something for nothing" attempts) the salesman works harder with no greater success.

If you will just take the time to understand why it is that people buy things, it will open up a whole new world of understanding to you. It will make it possible for you to increase your sales volume significantly and thereby make more money.

It will also enable you to understand what has happened in every sales interview ~ even when you don't get the order. And these same principles will improve your relationships with other business associates, and with your friends and family ~ because you'll understand them so much better.

And what may be most important of all, you will enjoy your work much more than you ever have before. No longer will you be afflicted with stomach aches from the uncomfortable task of trying to be something you're not. You won't have to remake your personality or become a fast talking extrovert.

Here is the painless way to become a good salesman, to influence others, to become more in demand ~ without remaking your personality, without becoming forceful, aggressive, or eloquent. You can relax and be yourself, you can be honest and friendly, and you will be thanked by the buyer for what you have done for him.

Best wishes, Harry Browne

The Author

Harry Browne was in his early to mid-thirties, and a sales consultant and lecturer in the Los Angeles area, when he wrote The Secret of Success and Selling is Easy ~ two manuscripts that I've compiled into one eBook titled, The Secret of Selling ~ Anything.

He had twenty years of successful selling and sales management behind him. He had written folders and booklets on salesmanship and economics. He had authored the courses "The Art of Profitable Living" and "The Economics of Success" ~ which had received excellent market acceptance in Southern California. His weekly newspaper column, "The American Way," was being published in 110 newspapers. And he was in demand as a speaker, consultant and writer ~ all of which had been accomplished with no more than a high school education.

Because he had never wanted to be an "average" salesman, he'd paid particular attention to the top successes he had met along the way ~ observing them closely to determine the nature of success. In so doing, he came to understand why people buy and to understand the world around him. And he found that the principles he had observed applied to any type of success-seeking ~ whether or not in the sales field.

Harry was not the stereotypical hard-driving, constantly-on-the-go success seeker, however. In fact, he found a way to make an unusually good income as a salesman while working only fifteen to twenty hours per week. This allowed him the luxury of enjoying his non-professional interests ~ classical music, opera, good food and wine, sports, television, and fiction.

Every word in this book was written by Harry in 1966 and 1969 from his own successful experience. And although the manuscripts remained unpublished until now they are an example of his ability to communicate to others the knowledge he had gained early on. Whether you're trying to sell automobiles, advertising, or Libertarian principles I believe you'll find this book interesting and beneficial.

I hope you enjoy it!

Best wishes, Pamela Wolfe Browne

Testimonials

"Thanks especially for being willing to write common sense. I fear younger, or even sophisticated readers may reject it because it is simple."